St. Agnes Anglican Church 75th Anniversary Church Plate
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

2019 INDEX

CANADA

 B.C.,Kimberly-Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 9/8/19.

 . 

 ENGLAND

London-All Hallows Church By The Tower, 6/30/19.
London- St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, 7/14/19.
London-St. Mary Cable Street Church of England, 7/28/19.
 London-St. Dunstan & All Saints the Parish Church of Stepney, 8/11/19.
London- London Airport Chapel, Gatwick Airport, 8/25/19.

ITALY

Bergamo- Chiesa  Di San Leonardo, 5/19/19

Rome-Santa Maria Della Concezione, 1/6/19.

MALLORCA

Palma-Churches of Palma, 10/20/19.

Pollenca-Calvary Church, 10/6/19.
Alcudia-Santa Anna Church, 11/3/19.

MEXICO

Puerto Vallarta-Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe ,12/1/19.

SICILY

Catania- Catania Airport Chapel, 5/5/19.
 Catania- Chiesa di Sant' Agostino Church, 6/2/19.

 Catania-Chiesa San Cristoforo, 4/14/19.

Catania-Sant'Agata Cathedral, 3/31/19.   
 Catania-Train Station Chapel, 2/3/19.
Siracusa- Santa Luca Alla Badia Church,  4/28.19.   
Syracusa, Basilica Santuario Madona Delle,  Lacrime,  2/17/19.     
 Syracusa-Chiesa Parrocchia  San Tommaso  Pantheon, 1/20/19.

SPAIN

Girona, Catalonia-Girona Cathedral/Cathedral of St. Mary of Girona,  11/17/19.

USA

Remembrance Day The Wall, 11/10/19.

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Photos: Taken by RW while traveling in Europe 2019.

Church Plate: Part of Suzanne's "Church Plate" collection.

Basilica de la Concepcio

Basilica de la Concepcio

Barcelona, Spain

Church Plaque

"The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady is a basilica in Barcelona, Catalonia. The church originated as the Jonqueres Monastery, that was moved stone by stone when the land of the monastery was to be demolished. In 1879, a bell tower was added from the church of San Miguel which was also going to be demolished. The rectory stands on the left side of the bell tower and is a historicist building built at the end of the 19th century. On 20 February 2009, Pope Benedict XVI granted the title of minor basilica to the church, which became the eighth basilica in the city." (Link 1.)

Nave and Altar

"Basilica-Església de la Puríssima Concepció
Built: 1293-1448
Founded: 1214
Function: Parish church; minor basilica; former monastic community
Address: Aragó 299

"The parish church of the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady is Barcelona’s newest basilica, bringing the city’s present total to eight. Named by Pope Benedict XVI on the Feast of the Assumption 2009, it is actually one of the city’s oldest existing ecclesiastical buildings. The story of how it arrived at its present status, despite years of neglect, decline, and near-demolition, is a testimony to its parishoners and to the faithful in Barcelona to not only have this beautiful structure survive, but thrive.

Rear of Sanctuary

"The original monastic community of Benedictine sisters of Sant Vicenç de Jonqueres was founded in 1214 in the town of the same name, located just outside of Sabadell, a city situated about 10 miles from Barcelona. Apparently the sisters had some problems getting organized, and in 1261 following appeal to the Bishop of Barcelona, they were invited to move to that city. The nuns left their quarters in Jonqueres temporarily for Sabadell in 1273, while suitable buildings were located. The actual move was not completed until 1293, when the nuns took up residence on what is now the Carrer de Jonqueres, on the edge of the Gothic Quarter.

Side Altar

"Their new convent was named Santa Maria de Jonqueres, recalling their origin but distinguishing themselves from the parish of Saint Vincent where they had experienced so many problems. By 1300, with the construction of the first permanent chapel on the site, the convent was officially renamed Sant Jaume de l’Espasa, since the nuns had adopted the Rule of St. James of the Sword, better-known as the famous religious-military order of Santiago. However, the community continued to be referred to colloquially as Santa Maria de Jonqueres.

Side Altar

"The community quickly becae associa
ted with the daughters of the noble families of Barcelona, and grew extremely wealthy. Their original holdings were enormous, covering numerous square blocks of the old city. The two-story cloister was completed before 1400, and in 1448 the consecration of the enormous Catalan Gothic monastic chapel, which replaced the simpler version that had been built between 1293-1300, took place with great fanfare.

:"The nuns were expelled and their community dissolved in 1810, during the Napoleonic period, and in 1820 the convent was converted into a military hospital. The site subsequently became a prison, and still later a military depot. In 1867, the chapel itself was named a parish by the Archdiocese, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the remains of the convent, which were in very poor repair by this time, were finally torn down in 1868.

Side Altar

"During Barcelona’s expansion in the mid-19th century, the complex was slated for demolition because it lay along a proposed route to connect the northern part of the new city to the seafront. Fortunately, due to foresight by the Archdiocese and the local gentry, between 1869 and 1871 the former chapel and the cloister were moved, stone by stone, from their original location in the Gothic Quarter to their present site in the Eixample, the 19th century grid-like district which houses much of Barcelona’s famous 19th and 20th century buildings. The church was then re-consecrated in 1872 and became the first parish in this new district of the city. In 1879, when the Church of St. Michael was torn down in order to make way for the expansion of City Hall, the portal of the church went to the Basilica of La Mercè, but the bell tower was given to the parish of La Concepció." (Link 2.)

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Photos: Taken in 2018 by RW with his iPhone while travelling in

                 Spain from his home in Switzerland.

Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_(Barcelona)

Link 2: https://catholicbarcelona.com/2014/03/01/la-concepcio-updated/

                                                                    Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe 
 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe 

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

"Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known locally as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe,^[1] is a church building in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. The church has been called "one of the most endearing" of the city's landmarks.^[1] It is open daily, with services in English available on Saturdays and mass in both Spanish and English on Sundays.

"The church tower is topped with a wrought-iron crown hoisted by angels designed to resemble one worn by Empress Carlota of Mexico." (link 1.)

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Entrance

"Perto Vallarta's Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish (Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) is a city icon, it dominates Vallarta's downtown skyline and is one of the favorite symbols and landmarks of the city, not only in photos but also shirts, logos and postcards.

"...one of the most important city monuments and the spiritual center of the Catholics in town (religion in Vallarta).

"

There is always activity around and within the church, the church bells are rung by the sextants 30 and 15 minutes prior to each service, but it reaches almost a level of frenzy in the 12 days of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Festival (also known as Feast of Guadalupe), held every year from December 1st to the 12th.

"During these festivities you'll notice a mix of both traditional Christian and Aztec motifs, young warriors dance in the streets, processions advance through the streets and include lots of banners, music, singing, and colorfully decorated floats mainly with scenes that include the Virgin and Juan Diego, commemorating the miraculous apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the Indian peasant called Juan Diego on December 12th, 1531. These festivities are attended by tens of thousands, locals and visitors.

 "The foundations of the church were started in 1903, but at the time there was already a small chapel there dedicated to Virgin Guadalupe. In 1915 father Francisco Ayala arrived and he, with foresight, suggested that a bigger temple than the one that had been designed be built instead.

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Interior

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Altar

"... existing foundations were strengthened and finished by 1917, including the main pillars and walls. Construction really started earnestly in the early 1920s around the still functioning chapel, including the blessing of the "eucaristía", the main bell. The official start date, celebrated at the church each year with a mass, is October 12, 1921.

"Construction work halted completely in 1926 when a conflict between church and state escalated to outright war, known as the Cristero War, which ended in 1929.

"Church construction started in 1930 with the beginning of the dome. By 1940 the entire building was finished, except the two towers.

"December 12, 1951, the chancel and the Hammond organ installed in it were used for the first time (notice the date). The father at that time, Rafael Parra wanted the main tower finished at that date, but this wouldn't be the case until 

1952.

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Crown at Night

"The crown" the Parish, what better t han a crown. It was placed on the main tower in 1965 (based on the city historian, Carlos Munguía Fregoso) and was sketched by the priest Rafael Parra Castillo, the same person who designed the tower. The original crown was designed and sculpted by José Esteban Ramírez Guareño in 1965.

"The crown IS NOT, as normally found online, a replica of one supposedly worn by Carlota, the mistress of Emperor Maximilian in the 1800's, which furthermore - as explained on the Parish website - only would have been a tiara based on her hierarchy within the nobility.

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Tower At Night

"...finally finished in 1987 and what we know as the Our Lady of Guadalupe church was finally ready.

"The church itself, not a cathedral, as many name it (it's not presided by a Bishop), is not really a sophisticated architectural design, it's a mix of styles that is result of the different parish priests' tastes and ideas that appeared along the way, elements are neoclassic, like the main building, the crown is reminiscent of baroque European temples, the side towers have a renaissance touch, and so on. "(Link 2.)

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Photos: Taken in November 2019 by Amy Wilson while on holiday in 

                Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.  Thank you.

Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_of_

Guadalupe_(Puerto_Vallarta)

Link 2: https://www.puertovallarta.net/what_to_do/our-lady-of-guadalupe-church

(Also see Blog Post 12/1/13 with photos by Suzanne Wilson.)

Book Rendering of Girona Cathedral

Girona Cathedral/Cathedral of St. Mary of Girona
Girona, Catalonia, Spain

"Girona ... is a city in Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell and has an official population of 99,013 as of January 2017. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès. It is located 99 km (62 mi) northeast of Barcelona. Girona is one of the major Catalan cities. "(Link 2.)

Southern Portico, the Apostles

"The Girona Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona ... is a Roman Catholic church located in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Girona. The cathedral's interior includes the widest Gothic nave in the world, with a width of 22 metres (72 ft), and the second-widest of any church after that of St. Peter's Basilica .... Its construction was begun in the 11th century in the Romanesque architectural style, and continued in the 13th century in the Gothic style. Of the original Romanesque edifice only the 12th-century cloister and a bell tower remain. The second bell tower was completed in the 18th century.

Tower

"A primitive Christian church existed here before the Islamic conquest of Iberia, after which it was converted into a mosque, in 717. The Franks reconquered the city in 785 under Charlemagne and the church was reconsecrated in 908.

Main Facade and Entrance Under the Tower

 "The church and its cloister were built until 1064, in Romanesque style. The bell tower was completed in 1117.

"The church has a Baroque main façade (begun in 1606, with the upper part finished in 1961)^[ preceded by a large staircase completed in 1607. The sculptures decorating the three orders of the façade were executed by local sculptors in the 1960s. Other exterior features include the Gothic portal of St. Michael, on the northern façade, and the southern portico of the Apostles, from the 14th century. 

Sanctuary

"The church has two bell towers. The oldest one, named after Charlemagne, is the surviving one of the two originally flanking the first Romanesque church (the other ceased to exist in the 14th century). Begun in the early 11th century, it has a square plan with six levels separated by friezes with Lombard bands and double mullioned windows. The new bell tower, begun in 1590 and completed (with a modified design) in the 18th century, has an octagonal plan. It houses six bells, the oldest one dating to 1574."(Link 1.)

Exterior

Tower

****** 

Photos: Taken in 2018 by RW with his iPhone while travelling in

                 Spain from his home in Switzerland.

Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girona_Cathedral
Link 2:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girona

                                                                    Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

Remembrance Day
The Wall

This is a story of my family.  My grandmother, Marie,  was born on a farm in Petasky, Michigan.  She had 5 brothers and 4 sisters.  She moved to Wisconsin as a bride and died in 1952 at age 67 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.  My mother kept in touch with several of her brothers and sisters.  One of these was her Uncle Charlie who had moved to Rapid City South Dakota. In 1956 when I graduated from high school and my brother graduated from grade school my mother took us by train and then bus to visit the Black Hills, Yellowstone Park, and her Uncle Charlie.

I had heard about her Uncle Charlie over the years.  He and his 1st wife Kate had never had children.  Then in his 60's they were divorced and he married his second wife, the young Kate.  Kate had been a nurse in the Korean War.  Her 1st husband had been a pilot who was killed in that war.  She had a son, Alan, from that marriage. Kate and Uncle Charlie also had a son, of course, named Charlie. Charlie had red hair and freckles, was rambunctious and looked like "What me worry?"  This great gift to Uncle Charlie so late in his life became his life.  Alan was 9 and Charlie was about 5 when my mother, brother, and I visited this family.

Many years after this visit I heard that Charlie, the great gift to my mother's Uncle Charlie, was killed in Vietnam.  My prayers went out to Uncle Charlie in his grief and Kate who had suffered such a loss in the Korean War.

When the Vietnam War Memorial was installed in Washington D. C. an accompanying "Moving Wall"  went on tour.  The replica was true to the original, a long rambling wall of black with the names of those that sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.  A soldier stood on guard with eyes on the wall. This "Moving Wall" came to Vancouver in 1988 and was mounted in Sunset Beach Park.  It was here that I visited the "Moving Wall".  I approached the soldier on guard who took me to the spot where "Charlie Reberg" was carved into the black surface.  I touched his name and thought of the little five year old with red hair and freckles and his parents who adored him.  And I prayed for them and all the other parents who had such a loss.

In 1998 the US Government offered rubbings of the names of those on the wall on request.  I gratefully received a copy of "Charlie Reberg" as it appears on "The Wall".  It can be seen in the photo below.

Each Remembrance Day, I remember.  I remember the sparkle in Uncle Charlie's eyes as he watched his five year old Charlie play in the front yard of their Rapid City home.  I remember that quietness of 9 year old Alan that seemed to reflect the death of his father in the Korean War. I think of the grief of young Kate and her double sacrifice.  And I pray for all the other families that have made this sacrifice.  Let us remember.

Photo: Taken of Suzanne Wilson's copy of "Charlie Reberg's" name on the Vietnam Memorial, "The Wall."
Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

St. Joseph (Foyer Statue)

Mount Joseph Catholic Hospital
Vancouver, B.C. Canada

"Joseph (Hebrew: יוֹסֵף‎, romanized: Yosef; Greek: Ἰωσήφ, romanized: Ioséph) is a figure in the canonical gospels who was married to Mary, Jesus' mother, and was Jesus' legal father.^[1] In the Apocrypha, Joseph was the father of James, Joses, Jude, Simon, and at least two daughters. According to Epiphanius and the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, these children were from a marriage which predated the one with Mary, a belief that is accepted by some select Christian denominations. Perspectives on Joseph as a historical figure are distinguished from a theological reading of the Gospel texts.^[2]

"Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglicanism and Lutheranism.^[3][4] In both Catholic and Protestant traditions, Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days. Pope Pius IX declared him to be both the patron and the protector of the Catholic Church, in addition to his patronages of the sick and of a happy death, due to the belief that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. In popular piety, Joseph is regarded as a model for fathers and has also become patron of various dioceses and places.(Link 2)

Chapel

"Mount Saint Joseph Hospital opened in Vancouver in 1946, but its history begins many years earlier, with the dream of a young Quebec girl named Délia Tetreault.

Altar Area

"In 1902, Delia Tetreault of Marieville, Quebec, helped found the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception – the first missionary congregation for women in Canada. Nineteen years later, four Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception moved across Canada to Vancouver. In a home on Keefer Street, they provided health and education services primarily to the Asian community.

"By the time the Sisters marked the 25-year anniversary of their arrival in Vancouver, their work had outgrown three buildings, leading to the opening of Mount Saint Joseph Hospital (MSJ) in 1946. During their years in Vancouver, a total of 173 Sisters have served through health care, education, parish work and family counseling. Each and every Sister has been faithful to the teaching of Mother Délia.

 (Right of Altar Statue)

Left of Altar Statue

"Today, MSJ is a 240-bed acute and extended care facility with an international reputation for excellence in providing for the needs of multi-faith and multi-ethnic communities. MSJ was founded on the principles of adaptability and responsiveness to ever-changing community needs, and continues to fulfill that mission. 

Sanctuary Banner

"A HISTORY OF MILESTONES

1946 — Mount Saint Joseph Hospital opens.
1948 – Mount Saint Joseph Hospital is recognized as a general hospital.
1956 – A 50-bed wing is added, thanks in part to the work of the newly created Ladies’ Auxiliary.
1960s – A dramatic drop in maternity admissions leads to a decision to close the maternity ward.
1965 – The chronic care department is converted into an Extended Care Unit, with state-of-the-art physiotherapy facilities.
1969 – A new three-bed Intensive Care Unit is created.
1970 – The Day Care Surgery Centre opens.
1979 – The Short Stay Assessment and Treatment Centre opens, establishing the first specialized geriatric service of its kind in BC.
1984 – Mount Saint Joseph Foundation is established.
1989 – The Lifeline Emergency Response System is introduced (Now the second-largest program of its kind in Canada, the system allows at-risk individuals to wear a button linking them to an emergency centre 24 hours a day, allowing them to safely remain in their own homes.)
1991 – An addition to the fourth floor paves the way for the new pediatric unit; two years later the hospital joins forces with BC’s Children’s Hospital to share expertise and to jointly operate MSJ’s expanded pediatric wing.
1992 – MSJ creates the positions of director of Multicultural Services and a coordinator of Interpreter Services." (Link 1.)

Sanctuary Side Windows

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Photos: Taken in September 2019 by SW.

Link 1: http://www.providencehealthcare.org/hospitals-residences/mount-saint-joseph-hospital/overview/history

Link 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)